


look up to the satellites (hear them call your name)

by rebelantix



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: College AU, F/F, F/M, Human AU, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-20
Updated: 2017-03-20
Packaged: 2018-10-08 07:37:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10381758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rebelantix/pseuds/rebelantix
Summary: I met a girl at a party once.Shit was lit.





	

_ “For the Seventh Circle!”  _

I draw my bowstring taut, fingers aligned with my left cheek. Voices rise from the battlefield; war-cries pledging allegiances to their home faction. One specific bellow rises above all others, a signal to arms for all warriors bearing the insignia of the Circle. 

I glance to the obsidian flame sewn into my armguard and draw in a deep breath, allowing my eyes to fall closed for but a moment. Music of metal clashing and hollow shields beating together swirls around my mind, crafting the melody of wartime. 

_ Quickly now, don’t waste these precious seconds. _

With lupine focus, I search out my target. Cloaked in darkness and masked by a bull’s skull, he stands behind his legion. The glowing emerald of his cryx-tipped staff leaves trails of light as he swings it to and fro. He commands his underlings with shouts akin to thunder. 

Calduen, the brute of our charge, is keeping off many of the wraith’s guard single-handedly, tossing them this way and that as if they were sacks of rice. Regardless of how many subordinates he ruthlessly eliminates, all he needs to do is allow me a clear shot.  

Arkion and Klygr buff the Circle’s minions and cast down lightning bolts from a clear sky with spells spoken from a single gritty, leatherbound book held in their joined palms. With the Elite’s valiant efforts to tear apart the wraith’s ranks, I should have my bullseye within minutes. 

I swallow as I look down the shaft of the arrow, past the tip, finding my mark in the center of the black master’s chest. Through the rips in his tunic I see his empty torso, skin peeled back to expose gangrenous tissue and graying rib bones.

Calduen’s resounding shouts capture my attention, pulling my eyes away from the putrid pile of death. The barbarian is surrounded by four Phares Brunes. Despite his thrashing and his level of brutality, he is dragged to the ground, with a boot to his face to keep him from struggling further.. Under those circumstances, he is sure to perish… How karmic. “In the name of the Seventh Circle, Pyraonyl!  _ Take the fucking kill! _ ”

With a slow breath, I grit my teeth, puffing out the air in disdain. There’s no sureness or clarity of my target if I let the arrow fly now, it could hit any mark at all. All it would take is a stray warrior to screw everything up…

_ “Dammit Pyr! What are you doing? Our honor depends on this!”  _

I gather my wits, holding my breathing and praying for the best… and then…

My bedroom door swings open, startling the controller from my hands and jolting me so badly that my soundset slips off of my head and onto the floor. I catch the screen washing red from the corner of my eye, the trademark of player death. Almost inaudibly, I hear toxic insults from my teammates spew from the headphones lying on the ground. I’ve never liked being called names, so the one who caused my quest failure is sure to get a thorough ass-kicking. “Jasper, I thought I clearly told you not to bring one of your primitive, hormone-driven groupies into this goddamn room,  _ especially  _ when I’m in the middle o-” 

The red tint washes onto a small, slim figure instead of the bulky, muscular mass belonging to my step-sibling, causing me to pause. The lighting isn’t strong enough for me to completely make out the complete features of her face. I  _ can _ see her eyes widen and her expression flash from embarrassed to indignant. 

“Do I look like the type that wants her sausage fingers on any part of me?  _ Cristo _ , I see rudeness runs in the family.”

Her shrill whisper degrades the delivery of her would-be biting reply, and given the garbage I’ve heard online, it’s hardly the worst thing she could have said to me. 

“Step up your insult game, your fire would be better suited against a twelve-year-old with serious self-esteem issues.” 

Her mouth opens and closes as she attempts to formulate a counter, but she scowls and shrugs her shoulders instead. “Whatever.”

I smirk. At least I’ve gained one victory tonight, albeit a social one... “What are you doing in here anyway? I mean, I get it if you’ve got a  _ special man friend  _ meeting you soon but I regret to inform you that this is not the most romantic, or,  _ convenient _ spot to… fornicate.”

She chokes.

This moment of quiet gives me time to assess my bearings and set up another match. I reach over the side of my beanbag to gather my controller and headset. Settling my attention on the screen, I press the BACK button and return to the game’s main queue. 

“It’s not like that! I’m just trying to hide from Jasper until the energy winds down so my friend can take me home. I didn’t want to come to this fucking party in the first place.”

“You and me both. Suck it up, buttercup, I deal with these things every weekend.” I tap the side of my headset to switch the mic on and off for a manual reset in case the fall caused any slight bump damage. An irritated, barking Cal is the first to speak. 

“What the fuck Per? You could have taken him, and this match would have been our centennial win  _ this week alone! _ Now we have to start over!”

“Unless we queue up another round before it reaches midnight,” I counter calmly, sniffing in dismay. “It was a simple setback. Someone just barged in unannounced, it startled me a bit. I may be the best rogue in Gryndilen, but even I get spooked sometimes.”

Cal snorts, but doesn’t make another ill comment. “Fine, let’s get this show on the road then if you’re done being a pussy. I want that centennial brute skin tonight.”

“Yeah yeah, you’ll get your skin! Lay off of ‘em, Cal,” Arthur chimes in, ever the peacemaker. No wonder he chose the healing mage class. Gross.

“We’ve got a spectator now though boys, some chick is trying to avoid the Beast.” I mutter in annoyance. My guest folds her arms and leans against the wall nearest to the door, avoiding my eyes. “It’s Lapis, you fucking 4chan-bred asshole.” 

Howling, boisterous laughter assaults my ears at painful decibels as the guys hoot in agreement. I cast a glare to the girl and bare my teeth, but do little to retort her insult. Fighting against her breed would only cause me more grief than satisfaction, and I don’t feel like quarreling at the moment. “Have a seat,  _ Lapis. _ Just keep your mouth shut and I won’t let Jasper know you’re here.” I gesture to my bed without taking my eyes from the screen, biting the inside of my cheek to keep from hissing.. 

She looks at me and I see the a sliver of a smile, but it’s gone as soon as it had appeared. “Yeah, thanks,” She murmurs, taking soft steps toward my mattress. She alights on it much like a bird would a tree branch, and I can’t help lingering on her for a moment.. “Don’t be so nervous, she won’t even think to look for you in here. The last time she did that, I mixed her muscle relaxant with copious amounts of itching powder.”

A small, airy laugh from behind me.

I feel my heartbeat quicken in the slightest amount. 

The game queues up soon enough, and my team is back to scouting out the territory for the wraith’s army. 

“Let’s do this properly now, watch out for the Brunes, Cal. Use your ability sparingly. I’ll scope for a better vantage point. Kai and Arthur, maybe you should split up this time instead of sticking so close together. I don’t want to see your character’s join hands. One ultimate from the Wraith and you guys make a double kill.” 

~-~-~

I don’t recall turning off the console or saying goodnight to the guys. I don’t even remember falling asleep.

A blanket of royal blue covers the entire expanse of my vision. There are no notable features of the blank scape surrounding me. All I notice are the surges of energy that ripple through the atmosphere. 

One pulse. Two.

The bursts remind me of a heartbeat, with their strength and consistency. 

I feel… unsure. Nervousness centers in my chest and slowly spreads throughout the rest of my limbs. Full-blown anxiety follows the nervousness, and then embarrassment and fury. The heat of vexation shoots up my spine and floods my cheeks. There’s the sound of resenting laughter beating into my skull, hard thumps against my shoulders. My hands are shaking and the pulses are increasing their frequency, my heart is jumping into my throat,  _ what could this mean, what could this mean? _

~-~-~

Gravity imposes itself on my being once more.  _ It was a dream. _

I’m staring at my ceiling, smooth, without imperfection. Every room in the house is like this, my step-monster wouldn’t have it any other way. The white of the walls and the lack of irregularities in texture radiate an aura of an asylum cell. All I need is a straitjacket and a padded floor. 

_ Floor… The hell am I on the floor? _

My spine argues with my muscles as I sit up. A look to the tele and the console reveal that I did indeed power them off, regardless if I remembered the action or not. My expression contorts in confusion as I stare at the screen, as if it’ll somehow give me some clarity. 

That’s when I see a shape move behind me.

I whip around as if I’d just consumed an Elixir of Speed, readying my fists against the intruder. 

My initial impression of the trespasser is one of a bumbling drunk teenager from Jasper’s party, waking with a hangover, realizing they stumbled into the wrong room. Usually I lock my door before retiring to rest to prevent his from happening.

Before I shout my usual battle cry, my eyes center on a girl half way out my window.

Time freezes, my mouth hung open in a snarl-turned-puzzled-O. To be fair, she’s just as startled as I am. 

_ The girl from the night before? I THOUGHT SHE WAS SUPPOSED TO LEAVE? _

Within a blink, she disappears from view. I shake off my bewilderment and zoom to the window, catching a bare foot vanishing into the trees adjacent to my house.

“ _ HEY! WE HAVE A DOOR, YOU IDIOT!” _

As soon as it’s clear she’s not coming back, I slam the window shut, sure to lock it  _ at least _ seven times. 

“Fucking  _ clod. _ ”


End file.
